Israel’s first InnoDentech conference, held virtually this June, covered critical issues such as how best to ensure that innovative new products from unheralded developers can see the light of day.

Among the InnoDentech panelists was Chuck Cohen, managing director at Benco Dental, the publisher of Incisal Edge.

ISRAEL HAS LONG BEEN a leader in innovation both technological and medical, and earlier this year it played (virtual) host to a gathering of dental-industry players who took part in discussions focusing on business-to-business (B2B) issues—among them the importance of ensuring that new dental products can find their way to markets, both in the U.S. and worldwide.

The inaugural InnoDentech Israel conference, held online June 15 and 16, featured some 40 exhibitors. Despite not being able to gather in person, they were able to showcase their technologies over two days to roughly 1,000 participants who represen­ted distributors, DSOs, dental chains, international manufacturers, investors and more, according to Raphaele Moog, head of the oral and dental technologies sector at the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute.

Among the panelists was Chuck Cohen, managing director at Benco Dental, the publisher of Incisal Edge. His symposium, “Key Success Factors for Innovative Companies in Dental & Oral Markets in the Americas,” helped shed light on those key outlets for Israel’s and other countries’ exports. Cohen’s co-panelists were Dr. Paul Feuerstein, editor in chief of Dentistry Today, and Dr. Lou Shuman, CEO of Cellerant Consulting Group, a Washington, D.C.–area dental consultancy.

Trends the panelists touched on included U.S. openness and, crucially, ensuring that the best new products are able to get market access no matter who is behind them. That, Cohen noted, is one thing that especially animates Benco Dental. “Our claim to fame in the U.S. is that we’re the most innovative dental company. We’re looking for those types of products,” he said, referring to technology developed by what Moog called smaller companies, particularly in Israel. “If it changes the lives of doctors and patients, we’re all in.”

If that disrupts the occasionally hidebound dental-products industry, Cohen added, well, so much the better. “We’re looking to make sure the product is good, meets all regulations and is approved by the FDA,” he said. “But we talk to younger companies that haven’t gone through that process. Find us before you’re ready: ‘Here’s what we’re working on, we’re not quite ready yet, help us figure out how to get everything ready to go, help us sell the product.’ Late conversations don’t help. Get the regulatory done, the manufacturing done, the marketing thought through.”

Moog says she was pleased with the entire conference. “For a first online event, it was a huge success,” she tells Incisal Edge. “I plan to renew the experience in 2022, probably at the beginning of July. If the situation allows it next year, my goal would be to organize an [in-person] event in Israel as well.”

“Dentists are truly, at their core, great people,” Cohen told his co-panelists. “They want to provide a great service for their patients. They’re open to products and technologies that make their lives easier and their patients healthier.”

For more information, visit innodentech.com.